Skunked at Wilhelm??

I have fished Wilhelm for the last 20 years or so and to me it's not the lake it used to be. The last 4-5 years the number of crappie seem to be getting fewer and fewer. I know there are still some there and some nice ones, but overall numbers are not there. I am not the greatest fisherman, but this time of year I can usually find them. I was out yesterday and never had a hit. I fished about 5 hours. I spent an hour or so just scouting from Launch 1 to the Dam using Side Imaging and didn't locate a single school of crappie. I fished shallow and deep, but nothing. Maybe they were all up the lake further, but I was surprised that they weren't where I have always found them before this time of year. Each year has been worse than the last for me out there. I know that a good bit of the structure that I used to find has deteriorated over the years and isn't there anymore. I even tried some of Zimmy's secret spots, but no luck. Has anyone else noticed a decline at Wilhelm or have I just lost my touch?

Might be time to add some structure back to the spots you used to fish

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Originally Posted by DockShootinJack

Might be time to add some structure back to the spots you used to fish

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I agree. If allowed, put some fresh stuff on top of the old stuff. See if it comes back to life.

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Originally Posted by chaunc

I agree. If allowed, put some fresh stuff on top of the old stuff. See if it comes back to life.

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Hey Zeke , fished Wilhelm last spring, did okay but had to hunt for them , did you try the bay on left side down by the dam? I normally fish 8-14’ on left side , or up by causeway west side. Fish are smaller there. Next time take a case of tnt for bait .[emoji476][emoji476][emoji476][emoji476]


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Originally Posted by Zimmy

Hey Zeke , fished Wilhelm last spring, did okay but had to hunt for them , did you try the bay on left side down by the dam? I normally fish 8-14’ on left side , or up by causeway west side. Fish are smaller there. Next time take a case of tnt for bait .[emoji476][emoji476][emoji476][emoji476]


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Yep, I tried the bay and down the left side but couldn't locate them. Tried shoreline trees first in case they were shallow then moved out to deeper spots. I fished it in late October last year and marked a number of schools, but it was like fishing the dead sea on Monday. I just wonder if the number of Amish fishing there has hurt the population some? Last year during the spawn there were hundreds out there fishing one of the trips I made. Fishing from shore and in boats. I saw one boat that had about a 30 gallon garbage can sitting in the middle of the 14-15 ft boat. I know they keep just about everything they catch. I talked to a local out there that said one of them were fishing below the dam and caught a limit of perch. He said the biggest was about 8". I don't know if that's the sole reason for fewer panfish at Wilhelm, but I know that since they have moved into the area around Kahle Lake that it has really went down hill as well. Used to be able to go there and catch nice size perch and a few crappie but the last couple years not so much. Went there a week ago with my son and daughter-in-law and I caught one crappie and one largemouth. 0 perch. My son hooked one bass that got off right at the boat. Maybe I'm wrong but there seems to be a connection??

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Originally Posted by Zeke

Yep, I tried the bay and down the left side but couldn't locate them. Tried shoreline trees first in case they were shallow then moved out to deeper spots. I fished it in late October last year and marked a number of schools, but it was like fishing the dead sea on Monday. I just wonder if the number of Amish fishing there has hurt the population some? Last year during the spawn there were hundreds out there fishing one of the trips I made. Fishing from shore and in boats. I saw one boat that had about a 30 gallon garbage can sitting in the middle of the 14-15 ft boat. I know they keep just about everything they catch. I talked to a local out there that said one of them were fishing below the dam and caught a limit of perch. He said the biggest was about 8". I don't know if that's the sole reason for fewer panfish at Wilhelm, but I know that since they have moved into the area around Kahle Lake that it has really went down hill as well. Used to be able to go there and catch nice size perch and a few crappie but the last couple years not so much. Went there a week ago with my son and daughter-in-law and I caught one crappie and one largemouth. 0 perch. My son hooked one bass that got off right at the boat. Maybe I'm wrong but there seems to be a connection??

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Tons of Amish fish Shenango too but the fish are always and still plentiful there. I don’t think it’s them that hurt wilhelm. This is one crazy spring we’re having. Try the deepest soft bottom area there. The crappies are eating bloodworms from the muddy bottom. Give that a try and let me know if it helps.

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Originally Posted by chaunc

Tons of Amish fish Shenango too but the fish are always and still plentiful there. I don’t think it’s them that hurt wilhelm. This is one crazy spring we’re having. Try the deepest soft bottom area there. The crappies are eating bloodworms from the muddy bottom. Give that a try and let me know if it helps.

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Spring time is hit or miss! To many cold fronts , I like late MAY on fish are more productive, Chaunc is right,until weather straighten up fish deeper and over soft bottom area. I have sort of put Wilhelm on back burner, I head to Shenango 90 percent of the time. Keep fishing Zeke [emoji476][emoji476][emoji476][emoji476]


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I'm thinking about heading up there next week and giving the upper end of the lake a try. I haven't fished that end for a few years so maybe I'll find them there. Thanks for all the advice. I'll let you know how I do next time.

Zeke, read the new NWPA Report, that I posted yesterday. Maybe that will help you to find them.